Providing shelter for weary travelers was the original meaning of the word "hospice", a word rooted in the concept of hospitality dating from the Middle Ages. Expanding on the notion of bringing comfort to someone in need, today we know hospice to mean compassionate, end-of-life care for a person in his or her home or a homelike setting.

Since 1981, Hospice of Eastern Maine (HOEM) has been helping family members and friends care for their loved ones in a way that preserves quality of life and eases pain so that one's final days can be comfortable and meaningful. Hospice care is an appropriate choice when the medical focus is on pain relief and symptom control rather than a cure and when a person is ready to spend his or her final days at home, cared for by family, friends, caring volunteers and medical professionals.